Can play be a climate action? Wood as an ecological material

The most important raw material for the products is Nordic pine, which Lappset procures from a nearby commercial forest. Lappset only buys wood from PEFC-certified commercial forests. This certificate guarantees that the forest is sustainably managed. Lappset does not own the forest itself, and the timber is acquired as sawn timber from nearby sawmills.

Short transport distances to Lappset’s factory in Rovaniemi do not burden the environment as much as long ones. Based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculations, the weighted average transport distance of Lappset’s sawn timber in 2022 was only 273 kilometres.

Working with wood as a raw material requires less energy and consumes less water than working with many other materials.

See the PEFC certificate here.

The most important element in Lappset’s climate work is the material it uses – thriving pine trees from northern coniferous forests. Wood is a renewable, carbon-binding, and recyclable material that is ideal as a raw material for playground and exercise equipment, as well as park and street furniture. Lappset’s products are mainly made of sustainably grown Nordic pine (Pinus sylvestris).

Lappset does not own forests itself but buys the wood needed for playground and sports equipment, as well as street furniture, as sawn timber.

The density value of wood indicates the durability and versatility of wood. The wood species and materials mainly used by Lappset, i.e. Massive pine and laminated pine, have a high-density value (500 kg/m3). Thanks to this characteristic, the products designed from them are durable. When maintained well, they last from father to son and from mother to daughter.

However, products made of wood, as well as other raw materials, require regular maintenance.

Lappset introduces a new wood preservative

Lappset continuously maps the use of more environmentally friendly wood preservatives. With the aid of various protective and other necessary treatments, the durability and service life of wood can be further improved. At the beginning of 2024, Lappset will introduce a new wood preservative that meets the requirements of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

As a raw material, wood is in a class of its own in terms of design and usability. It is an easily workable and flexible natural material that bends into many shapes. Wood also withstands the wear and tear of nature and weather better than many other materials.

Woodworking is often easier and requires less energy than metal processing, although this varies depending on the quality of the wood and the purpose of the work. Waste material from woodworking can be recycled or used as an energy source, for example.

For its part, metal processing requires heat, especially at the beginning of the production chain, starting with mining work. On the other hand, metal can be recycled almost endlessly without losing its properties, except for some metal grades. However, recycling also consumes energy and generates greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling wood is possible by using the materials of the dismantled wood structure as new fuel or in heat production, for example. However, the share of wood recycling is rather marginal thus far, as it is considered more difficult than metal recycling. Concerning many other raw materials, the ecology of wood is most strongly evident in its renewable nature and ability to bind carbon.

Buildings and structures made of wood look beautiful and blend into a wide variety of environments. Well-kept and regularly maintained wooden buildings remain healthy for up to hundreds of years. Wood is found almost everywhere in the world, which is why it’s a suitable material for so many environments, from Nordic winters to the hot summers of the Mediterranean and the hot, humid climate of Asia.

In a facility built of wood, separate acoustic panels are often not needed. Unlike a metal structure, for example, wood does not conduct sound but, on the contrary, dampens it.

Wood can be treated to improve its durability by glueing, for example. In this way, all kinds of safe and high structures such as various towers can be built. Those who lived in the Nordic winter in their childhood share a stinging memory of what happens to a person who presses their tongue onto a metal structure. Although muscle memory is often an excellent teacher, with wooden structures, there is no need to be afraid of frozen tongues every time you let your children out on a frosty day.

Although the challenging situations caused by the contact between a moist surface and metal are only a reality in winter conditions, wood is also ideal for countries with burning sunshine. Even though the wooden surface also warms up in the sun on hot summer days, you can’t fry an egg on it.